UNPUBLISHED

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS

FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,

Plaintiff-Appellee,

v.

RAOUL LAFOND, a/k/a Chris Lafond,

No. 98-4352

a/k/a Jim, a/k/a Jamaican Jim, a/k/a

Derrick Burch, a/k/a Fletcher

Busbee, a/k/a Ronald Elie, a/k/a

Ronald Ely,

Defendant-Appellant.

Appeal from the United States District Court

for the Middle District of North Carolina, at Winston-Salem.

William L. Osteen, District Judge.

(CR-96-212)

Submitted: April 13, 1999

Decided: October 13, 1999

Before ERVIN* and WILKINS, Circuit Judges,

and PHILLIPS, Senior Circuit Judge.

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Affirmed by unpublished per curiam opinion.

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*Judge Ervin was assigned to the panel in this case but died prior to

the time the decision was filed. The decision is filed by a quorum of the

panel pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 46(d).
COUNSEL

Sue A. Berry, Lumberton, North Carolina, for Appellant. Walter C.

Holton, Jr., United States Attorney, Clifton T. Barrett, Assistant

United States Attorney, Lynne P. Klauer, Assistant United States

Attorney, Greensboro, North Carolina, for Appellee.

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Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit. See

Local Rule 36(c).

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OPINION

PER CURIAM:

Raoul Lafond appeals his jury convictions and sentence for conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine, in violation of 21 U.S.C.

§§ 841(a)(1), 846 (1994), using a firearm during and in relation to a

drug trafficking offense, in violation of 18 U.S.C.§ 924(c)(1) (1994),

and several counts of money laundering, in violation of 18 U.S.C.

§§ 1956, 1957 (1994). We affirm.

The evidence at trial showed that Lafond was a leader of a crack

cocaine distribution ring in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Lafond

provided money for drug purchases, coordinated and made trips to

New York to purchase drugs, and delivered cocaine to co-conspirators

for distribution. The Government also presented extensive evidence

of money laundering. The court denied Lafond's motion for a judgment of acquittal under Fed. R. Crim. P. 29 on the money laundering

counts. The presentence investigation report (PSR) recommended a

four-level increase in offense level for Lafond's role in the offense,

and the district court overruled Lafond's objection to this increase.

On appeal, Lafond contends that the Government could not rely on

testimony from Lafond's co-conspirators, who had either received

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immunity or recommended sentence reductions in exchange for their

cooperation and testimony. This argument fails. See United States v.

Richardson, ___ F.3d ___, 1999 WL 686892 (4th Cir. Sept. 3, 1999)

(No. 98-4139). Likewise, there was ample evidence supporting

Lafond's conviction on the money laundering counts, and the court

did not err in denying Lafond's Rule 29 motion. See 18 U.S.C.

§§ 1956(a)(1)(B)(ii), 1957(a); Fed. R. Crim. P. 29; United States v.

Aramony, 88 F.3d 1369, 1386 (4th Cir. 1996); United States v.

Brooks, 957 F.2d 1138, 1147 (4th Cir. 1992).

There is no indication that the court deprived Lafond of a fair trial.

See Fed. R. Evid. 614(b); Stillman v. Norfolk & W. Ry., 811 F.2d 834,

839 (4th Cir. 1987). Finally, the court did not clearly err in its determination of the amount of drugs for which Lafond was responsible or

in applying a four-level increase in Lafond's offense level for his role

in the offense. See U.S. Sentencing Guidelines Manual

§§ 1B1.3(a)(2), 3B1.1; United States v. Withers, 100 F.3d 1142, 1147

(4th Cir. 1996); United States v. Lamarr, 75 F.3d 964, 972 (4th Cir.

1996).

We affirm Lafond's conviction and sentence. We grant Lafond's

motions to file a pro se supplemental informal brief* and a reply

brief. We dispense with oral argument because the facts and legal

contentions are adequately set forth in the materials before the court

and argument would not aid the decisional process.

AFFIRMED

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*The record does not conclusively show that Lafond received ineffective assistance of counsel, and although we grant Lafond leave to file a

supplemental brief, we thus decline to consider this issue. See United

States v. Smith, 62 F.3d 641, 651 (4th Cir. 1995).

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